Interview with Author of “Workarounds that Work”

For many employees, managers, and leaders, “work” is increasingly becoming a source of frustration and a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Between the seemingly endless amount of tasks and projects on our plates and the ever-increasing pressure to perform, it can be challenging, at best, to stay productive and get the right things done at the right time.

I recently sat down with him to talk about the book and what he hopes you glean from reading it.

What is the 15 second elevator speech on your new book, “Workarounds that Work.”

People are overwhelmed, under-resourced, and constantly at risk of missing something important. Resistant or negative people, misaligned internal groups, out of date processes. and overly complex systems often get in the way of what matters most and yet most of us have few ideas about what to do when we run into these kinds of roadblocks. Getting things unstuck and moving again is critical to success in today’s rapidly changing world. Directionally correct is better than perfectionally correct. These are real life tips gained from years of experience in the roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-your-hands-dirty world of getting things done.

We love how you break down different tasks we do each day and provide questions for your readers to answer about their professional lives. Why did you decide to write the book that way?

Rarely are we offered perfect solutions to perfect problems. Instead, getting things moving again will be a series of choices measured against your version of a good outcome. Advice from “experts” rarely matches what you are really up against. These questions will help you figure out what matters most in your situation and what choices you have that map to your real world life.

Obviously you want people to read the entire book, but if you had to choose the top three chapters, what would they be and why?

Chapter One: It All Starts With You. Because it really does start with you.

Chapter Four: How You Frame the Problem is the Problem. Because what you tell yourself about the issue will either free you up to find the solution or block you from ever moving forward.

Chapter Six: Accountability and Response-Ability. Because if you won’t own the outcome and figure out what choices you have, there’s really no point in even trying to move forward.

What is the one thing you hope readers walk away learning from reading the book?

Even if no one else gets it, YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE in your own life. The critical question to keep in mind: What can you do all on your own that might make a positive difference?